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Indy 500: First look at the 2020 entry list in the new year

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 26: Helio Castroneves of Brazil, driver of the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet in action during the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 26: Helio Castroneves of Brazil, driver of the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet in action during the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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With 2020 underway and just over four and a half months to go until the 104th running of the Indy 500, let’s take a fresh look at the updated entry list.

It did not take long after the year 2019 ended and 2020 began for Helio Castroneves to be confirmed behind the wheel of the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 this May.

The 44-year-old Brazilian hasn’t competed in a full IndyCar season since 2017, but he hasn’t missed the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since before the first time he competed in it 19 years ago.

Castroneves’s return for a 20th Indy 500 attempt and an 11th attempt to become the fourth four-time winner of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana had long been speculated, and it is now official, adding to the entry list with under five months to go until the race.

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Castroneves is the 22nd driver to be confirmed for this race, which traditionally featured 33 competitors.

With that being said, there are several other entries among a number of teams that have been confirmed as well, so the unofficial entry list is already approaching 33.

We already had a look at the way-too-early entry list for this race, but even since mid-December when that was revealed, quite a few more confirmations have been made.

With the year 2020 officially upon us, let’s take another look at what has been confirmed for the 2020 Indy 500, and let’s also explore what is still not confirmed, including what has been heavily speculated over the last few weeks and months.

Full-time drivers (confirmed)

Andretti Autosport

  • Zach Veach, #26 Honda
  • Alexander Rossi, #27 Honda
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay, #28 Honda
  • Colton Herta, #88 Honda (Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport)
  • Marco Andretti, #98 Honda (Andretti Herta Autosport)

Arrow McLaren SP

  • Patricio O’Ward, #5 Chevrolet
  • Oliver Askew, #7 Chevrolet

Chip Ganassi Racing

  • Marcus Ericsson, #8 Honda
  • Scott Dixon, #9 Honda
  • Felix Rosenqvist, #10 Honda

Dale Coyne Racing

  • Alex Palou, #TBD Honda (with Team Goh)

Ed Carpenter Racing

  • Rinus VeeKay, #21 Chevrolet

Meyer Shank Racing

  • Jack Harvey, #60 Honda

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

  • Graham Rahal, #15 Honda
  • Takuma Sato, #30 Honda

Team Penske

  • Josef Newgarden, #1 Chevrolet
  • Will Power, #12 Chevrolet
  • Simon Pagenaud, #22 Chevrolet

Full-time drivers (speculated)

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

  • Charlie Kimball, #4 Chevrolet

Dale Coyne Racing

  • Santino Ferrucci, #TBD Honda (with Vasser-Sullivan)

Remaining full-time seats (confirmed)

  • Carlin (two seats)
  • Dale Coyne Racing (one seat, see above)

Remaining full-time seats (speculated)

  • Possible second seat at A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Indy 500 one-offs (confirmed)

  • Arrow McLaren Racing SP Chevrolet (third entry)
  • James Davison in a Jonathan Byrd’s Racing/Hayward Motorsports entry

Indy 500 one-offs (speculated)

Other (confirmed)

  • Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing’s oval driver)
  • Conor Daly (Ed Carpenter Racing’s road and street course driver who is slated to drive a third entry for the team in the Indy 500)
  • Helio Castroneves in a fourth Team Penske Chevrolet (two-race deal along with Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race)
  • Second seat at A.J. Foyt Enterprises (even if not a full-time seat)
  • DragonSpeed entry (driver not confirmed)

Other (speculated)

  • Regarding A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ second car, it could be a full-time car with one or multiple drivers, or it could be a part-time car with one or multiple drivers. Tony Kanaan is being reported as the one of the likely drivers and would likely compete in the Indy 500. Dalton Kellett has been rumored as another possible part-time driver for the team for 2020 and would be the most likely candidate to compete in this race should Kanaan not compete in it.
  • Clauson-Marshall Racing (one entry; Pippa Mann again?)
  • Juncos Racing (one entry)

If you add all of this up, you get 22 confirmed drivers with seven additional confirmed entries and four that look really solid heading into 2020, bringing the total to 33. Add in the bottom two entries listed under the “Other (speculated)” column, and that brings the total to 35.

And it’s only early January.

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With still more than four and a half months to go before the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 24 and still more than two months before the 2020 IndyCar season itself is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 15, there is still a lot left to be determined. But as each confirmation is made from now until then, you can just sense that, yes, it is (sort of) almost May.